PEABODY – RCN cable-television subscribers in Peabody will now be able to view Public, Educational and Government (PEG) channels in High Definition (HD).
“The need for immediate, local information has never been greater, and that’s what PEG access provides,” says Peabody Access Telecommunications (PAT) Executive Director Camille Bartlett. “RCN gives us the ability to do so now in high definition, which is a big win for the city.”
As part of the agreement with the city, RCN has committed to building an exclusive fiber infrastructure for municipal use, a so-called I-Net.
Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said the deal could result in significant savings for city departments and schools on Internet services.
“This is yet another meaningful step forward in terms of increasing the public’s access to their local government,” Bettencourt said. “Thanks to RCN’s commitment to PEG, even more people can watch meetings of the City Council, School Committee and our other boards and commissions.”
Bettencourt granted a franchise license to RCN in 2019 that allowed RCN to offer its cable TV and high-speed internet services to Peabody residents. The agreement ended a 40-year monopoly of cable TV service in the city and ushered in a new era of competition benefitting residents and businesses alike. Prior to 2019, Comcast was Peabody’s only bundled cable television, high-speed internet and phone service provider.
RCN subscribers who tune into the Education channel will be treated to live broadcasts of School Committee meetings, information on school schedules, lunch menus, weather-related closures, special school events like the annual Science Fair, high school sports and performing arts.
The Peabody Government channel broadcasts live meetings of the City Council, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and Board of Library Trustees, among others.
The Public Access channel features original programming produced by members of PAT, an award-winning non-profit organization. Viewers can expect to see religious services, programs geared to elders, politics and current events, health & fitness, books, movies, and much more.
The new channel guide features public access on channel 3, education on channel 13 and government on channel 5 on standard definition cable boxes; public access on channel 629, education on channel 613 and government on channel 614 on high definition standard cable boxes; and, on high definition IP cable boxes, public access on channel 1159, education on channel 1160 and government on channel 1161.
Former Mayor Peter Torigian brought cable television to Peabody in October, 1980. Twenty-five years later, under the leadership of former Mayor Michael Bonfanti, the city authorized Comcast to fund a non-profit organization to provide services to PEG users. In June 2017, Mayor Edward Bettencourt successfully secured a significant increase in Peabody TV’s funding when he signed the new 10-year cable license.
PAT has been consistently recognized as an award-winning organization in producing and covering local community news and events. Most recently, PAT received a 2020 Hometown Video Awards for Best of Overall Excellence P.E. or G. Access ($650,000-$1,000,000). It also won a 2020 Best of Entertainment and Arts Series Accent Center Professional award for its coverage of Restaurant Week 2019.
PAT offers several youth programs, including Peabody Youth TV (PYTV), a program that introduces students to writing, directing, filming, post-production and photography and other components related to television production.
It also offers a paid work study program that gives high school students hands-on experience in the broadcasting and production field to build both their media education and resumes for college. PAT also offers internships that give students the opportunity to learn broadcast, video editing, graphic design, podcasting and more. Internships are customized to meet both academic requirements and interns’ personal interests.